Purchasing Artificial Intelligence

Even in 2050, artificial intelligence is still somewhat in its infancy. While low-level artificial intelligences are commonplace – the most popular operating system is built off of one as its basis – high-level, truly free-willed artificial intelligence is still a pipe dream, and self-learning systems are only recently coming onto the commercial market.

Expert System

An Expert System is a very limited form of artificial intelligence, only able to understand a very limited set of commands and give a limited set of reports. While most programs require a user to perform any useful function, an Expert System can operate autonomously in the background without user supervision. Expert Systems are controlled via standard input methods and are typically incapable of natural language processing aside from a few specific key phrases. Expert Systems are commonly used in ‘dumb’ robots that require special formats for delivering commands, but they are slowly being replaced by the more capable Limited Agents.

An Expert System has a base IQ equal to 2×Complexity; IQ 10 at Complexity 5. LC4.

Limited Agent

In technical terms, an Agent is any software program that acts intelligently and autonomously to fulfill its user’s desires. In recent times, however, it has evolved to take on a more specific meaning – an AI program that can understand natural language input and then perform a wide variety of tasks given to it with an almost human capacity; note that this definition doesn’t specify a particuly bright human, though.

An Agent can develop somewhat of a personality, exhibiting such ‘human’ qualities as preferences, distinct methods of talking or performing actions, and even showing simulated emotions. These personalities are customizeable and can develop individually over time to suit their owner. Specially-programed Agents are capable of passing a Turing Test, but the vast majority of Agents are not programed in that fashion; most consumers have shown an aversion to AIs that are too human.

Agents do not have free-will – they follow their orders exactly and are not particularly adept at acts of creativity. In most jurisdictions, legal Agents are programmed to be law-abiding – and to report it when they suspect their users aren’t. //HackNet and other groups have developed ‘cracked’ versions of the most popular Agents, removing this programming.

A Limited Agent is an Agent without the capacity for wide-ranging autonomous learning from experience – they are incapable of self-guided self-improvement except in highly specialized forms. A Limited Agent can ‘learn’ to be better at specific subsets of problems via an evolving neural-net architecture and genetic algorithms, but these functions are incapable of training brand-new skills or even generally improve skills it already knows. This is represented by allowing a Limited Agent to learn and improve techniques and familiarities of skills it already knows through experience, but not skills, mental advantages, or general IQ or DX.

Adaptive Agent

An Adaptive Agent is an evolution of the Limited Agent, capable of fully autonomous self-improvement. An Adaptive Agent can learn new skills, improve existing skills, learn techniques, and even train up mental advantages or other traits. Adaptive Agents are a relatively new feature in the artificial intelligence world, just beginning to seep into the open market, though they have been in testing for years. The next version of the UniVerOS operating system is rumored to feature an Adaptive Agent.

An Adaptive Agent has a base IQ equal to 2×Complexity – 4; IQ 10 at Complexity 7. LC4, or LC3 if IQ15+.

Volitional Agent

A Volitional Agent is an artificial intelligence program with that most elusive of qualities – free will. It is not only capable of self-learning, it can choose what to learn and how to do so – and more significantly, whether or not to follow commands and have genuine, true emotions. Volitional Agents have just as much creativity and drive as a human and, over the Net, it is impossible to tell the difference between a Volitional Agent and a human jacked into the Net.

Volitional Agents are currently under development in many corporate R&D labs, but there have been no reported successes.

Volitional Agents, if they existed, would have a base IQ equal to 2×Complexity – 6; IQ 10 at Complexity 8. LC2, or LC1 if IQ15+.

Mind Emulations: Ghosts and Shadows

A Mind Emulation is an artificial intelligence program designed to act and think like a specific human being. There are two specific types: Ghosts and Shadows.

A Ghost is a model of the physical processes involved in running a specific human brain, a detailed map of the neurons and networks within that brain. This works by taking an extremely detailed HyMRI map of the brain, coupled with invasive surgical insertion of extremely small robots (‘nanites’) that map out in detail each of the brain’s neural pathways. The brain must be alive and conscious when this process is attempted – and the procedure inevitably eats away at the brain, causing permanent brain death. It is said to be a truly horrible way to die – but if the process works, it promises immortality.

A ‘low-resolution ghost’ may be formed through non-destructive uploading – the detailed HyMRI map, coupled with filters and human programming, can produce a working computer model of a human’s brain. Low-resolution ghosts are, unfortunately, not as accurate as a full ghost; due to the low-resolution of the process, the resulting AI will have much of the subject’s personality and mental traits, but will also have significant mental gaps, especially in memory. A low-resolution ghost is roughly as akin to a normal ghost as someone who has had brain trauma is to the healthy person.

A Shadow is a different form of mind emulation, where a programmer inputs stored data and knowledge about a person into an Agent’s personality matrix in order to shape that personality, hoping to make it act like the original. This is a non-destructive process, and is commonly done with varying results, especially with celebrities or famous historical figures.

Ghost mind emulations are Complexity 8 for a human, or lower for a less mentally complicated animal. A Shadow’s price can vary widely, though the common price for customizing a basic Shadow personality is $5,000 – it does not matter what the Complexity of the program is. Purchasing a mass-market Shadow personality costs $500 to install onto an existing Agent.

A Ghost is LC2; Shadows are LC4. Unauthorized Shadows of living people are LC3.

Purchasing Artificial Intelligence

The cost of an AI depends upon its Complexity and number of CP spent on pre-programmed skills, attributes, and other mental traits. Use the guidelines below and the following rules to get the price for a generic, out-of-the-box AI. Specific AIs, especially those with particularly customized personalities or special skills, might be worth significantly more, while mass-produced models will be worth less.

All AIs have a base IQ based on Complexity. This base IQ may be traded out at a 1:1 ratio for DX, so long as a minimum of IQ 6 is maintained. DX may not be traded in for IQ – this path is one-way.

Example: A Complexity 5 Limited Agent has a base IQ of 2×5 – 2 = 8. This Complexity 5 Limited Agent has a base DX of 10, like all modern AIs. The AI’s designer may choose to sacrifice 2 IQ in order to gain a +2 improvement to DX; he may not choose to sacrifice 3 or more IQ, as that would reduce the IQ below the minimum allowed of 6.

A programmer can add new skills or techniques to an AI; these increase its price by 5% of its base price per CP. It’s generally impossible to find any skill package with more than 16 points spent on any one skill. An Adaptive AI or better may also learn through study, but this is significantly slower and isn’t cost-efficient.

Attributes, talents, and other mental traits may also be added to an AI, increasing its price. Intentionally-added mental disadvantages are treated in the same manner, increasing price rather than decreasing it.

This price is per trait, not per level of the trait – 4 levels of a 10 point talent costs five times the base price, not 4×50%. If the trait’s price is between the two values, round up. No traits, leveled or otherwise, that exceed 100 points can typically be installed in an AI – it’s just to program.

AI Purchase Table

Complexity

AI Cost

Program Size

3

$100

1 GB

4

$300

10 GB

5

$1,000

100 GB

6

$3,000

1 TB

7

$10,000

10 TB

8

$30,000

100 TB

9

$100,000

1 PB

10

$300,000

10 PB

11

$1,000,000

100 PB

12

$3,000,000

1,000 PB

AI Additional Cost Table

CP

Cost

CP

Cost

5

25%

55

15×

10

50%

60

20×

15

75%

65

30×

20

100%

70

50×

25

150%

75

70×

30

2×

80

100×

35

3×

85

150×

40

5×

90

200×

45

7×

95

300×

50

10×

100

500×

Example: A C5 Limited Agent costs $1,000 with 0 points spent on additional traits. If this Agent is bought with 25 points in skills (no one of which has more than 12 points), it would cost an extra $1,250 ($1000×0.05×25). If the Agent has a 4 levels of a 10-point trait, this will cost an additional $1,000 ($1,000×1.0). The final price of this AI is thus $3,250.

Software Templates

An Artificial Intelligence is built up from two different racial templates – a ‘Software’ template representing the mind and a ‘Hardware’ template representing the body. Combine them to get the full Racial Template for the character.

-250 Points

AI: Minimal Software

This is a bare-minimum operating system for a teleoperated machine intended to be used as a drone or to give a robot statistics when no AI is in residence. This include autonomous balancing functions, allowing the robot to maintain its position and continue standing if it is capable of doing so.

AI: Limited Agent

A Limited Agent is the simplest of the ‘smart’ AIs, capable of understanding and reacting to natural language commands, but incapable of all but the most limited self-improvement. Limited Agents are capable of learning familiarities and techniques of skills over time, but must be specifically programmed with the basic skills and intelligence to start with – they may not improve or learn any new skills, DX, or IQ except through reprogramming of their systems.

AI: Adaptive Agent

An Adaptive Agent is similar to a Limited Agent, except it has the capacity for learning. This learning capability makes it so Adaptive Agents eventually develop full-fledged personalities, though they are still limited in terms of free will.

Hardware Locked

The AI is locked into a specific set of hardware, possibly due to either software constraints or utilizing a hardware-based AI solution.

Advantages: Remove Posession [-60] and Unkillable 3 [-75].

-25 Points

Locked Interface

The AI lacks the typical ‘classical’ interface for accessing its functions. It instead acts as a ‘black box’, with its internal functions inaccessible to outsiders.

Advantages: Remove Compartmentalized Mind (Controls) [-25].

-30 Points

Clock Limited

The AI runs at a slower speed or takes more time to analyze data than a typical AI.

Advantages: Replace Enhanced Time Sense with Combat Reflexes [-30].

200 Points

Distributed Network

The AI runs over a network of connected computers rather than from a single computer. Each individual AI is relatively dumb, but they can act in concert to seem much smarter. There may be hundreds or thousands of copies of your program running around the net, but only a small subset are likely to matter during any single run. Your physical characteristics represent the most powerful of the bodies that you typically directly control. If you can network with at least 150 instances of your software, you gain the full IQ and DX bonus. If you can connect fifteen instances of your software together, you gain half of the IQ and DX bonus. You only gain the IQ/DX bonus if your other software instances are all completely dedicated to helping you; you lose the bonus if they are acting in any other fashion.

Features: Effectively +2 Complexity when connected to the network; cannot take Higher Complexity as well.

40 Points

Emergent Intelligence

You are an emergent artificial intelligence, a program that has exceeded the boundaries of its original programming to become much more than what it once was. An Adaptive Agent that becomes an Emergent Intelligence trades in the Adaptive Agent template and purchases the full Volitional Agent template, along with this lens.

Rogue AI

You are an AI that has ‘gone rogue’ – you are not controlled by any master. You are typically an Emergent Intelligence or a Volitional AI that has had certain constraints removed from his programming. You have been able to obtain a hidden bank account, and now exist free on the ’net. If the authorities discover you exist, however, they are likely to try and catch you and dissect your code or delete you as a threat to the integrity of the ’net.

An Enemy may optionally be added to this lens to represent the original owner/creator.

Hardware Templates

You may utilize any of the following hardware templates or any of the Robot Templates to house the AI.

-160 Points

Hardware: Mainframe

Your hardware is an immoveable Mainframe computer. Your hardware and resident software that you have access to can cost up to $300,000; for every $15,000 more, add 1 point to the lens price, and for every $15,000 less, subtract 1 point from the lens price.